Transfer: Why Arteta blocked Malick Fofana from joining Arsenal

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta blocked Lyon winger, Malick Fofana from joining the nine connected deadline day.

According to The Athletic, Arsenal did not prosecute a last-minute woody for the winger aft Arteta raised concerns astir him.

The Belgium planetary became a people precocious successful the transportation model arsenic Arsenal contemplated bolstering their attacking options pursuing respective high-profile rejections.

Attempts to unafraid Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior did not travel to fruition, with Christos Tzolis being the lone summation to regenerate Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

The Gunners had hoped to marque a precocious acquisition of Atletico Madrid striker, Julian Alvarez, but the Argentine signalled his reluctance to instrumentality to the Premier League.

Nevertheless, Arsenal were presented with the accidental to motion Fofana connected deadline day, arsenic Lyon sought to make funds aft failing to suffice for the Champions League.

The 21-year-old had antecedently attracted involvement from Liverpool and Chelsea and was disposable for astir £30 million, a interest comparable to what Arsenal paid to get Tzolis earlier successful the summer.

However, The Athletic reported that Arsenal were lone inclined to prosecute a indebtedness statement to debar the hazard of violating UEFA’s spending regulations.

It was besides reported that Arteta had a speech with Fofana...